Operation Backlog Completion 2025

July 4-6 Could Have Some Exciting Announcements

 Video games  1 Response »  Tagged with: ,
Jun 282024
 

“E3” season might be past, but now we’re heading into July – and with it, a new lineup of potential announcements.

Anime Expo is running from July 4-7, and several video game panels with potential announcements are scheduled for that time period, so let’s take a look!

July 4’s panels include one on Ys X: Nordics, where the release date is set to be announced. Sekai Project has a panel that day as well, so we might get some visual novel news from there.

Now July 5 is when things really get going. Falcom has a panel for Trails through Daybreak, where a big announcement is rumored to be made. An English logo for Trails through Daybreak II (aka Kuro no Kiseki II) was leaked last week, so it’s pretty much guaranteed that its localization will officially be announced. (There’s another Trails panel later in the day, as well.)

After that, Aksys Games has a panel that promise some surprises. Their panel at Anime Expo two years ago was insane, so I can’t help but be excited. I doubt we’ll get as many otome announcements as we did then, but I’ve still got my fingers crossed.

Bandai Namco and WayForward have panels that day as well.

That’s already a lot, but June 6 keeps the momentum going. There’s a Type-Moon panel, and with the Tsukihime remake having just come out in English, I’m hopeful we’ll get news about the Fate/Stay Night remaster, if nothing else. Spike Chunsoft also has a panel later in the day, and they’ve said they’ll be making announcements. There’s a lot of Spike Chunsoft series I like, so I’m looking forward to what they might have in store. (I’ll go crazy if there’s a third Somnium Files game announced.)

Xseed also revealed their Anime Expo lineup, with a secret title included that they’ll reveal ahead of time.

Meanwhile, while Idea Factory isn’t part of Anime Expo, they’re holding their own event on July 6 where they also intend to make announcements. Whether it’s otome games or RPGs, I’m interested to see what new games they have in store.

I’m not sure if any of these events will be livestreamed, so we might have to wait for news from people attending them in person. Nevertheless, we have a good chance of getting several exciting announcements! What are you looking forward to?

Bustafellows Season 2 Localization Confirmed At Last

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Jun 262024
 

PQube has been teasing Bustafellows Season 2 since last year, and this morning it finally came to fruition with the announcement that it will be localized in 2025.

Only the Steam page is up so far, but it will be localized for the Switch as well. A physical release for the Switch version has been confirmed, though there’s no word on a limited edition.

(PQube’s upcoming lineup also includes otome games Celestia: Chain of Fate and Genso Manège, idol games I*Chu: Chibi Edition and B-Project Ryusei*Fantasia, and visual novel SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky, so they’ve certainly stepped forward when it comes to unexpected niche releases.)

There’s a Bustafellows panel scheduled for Anime Expo, so I thought they might announce localization there, but it looks like they wanted to handle the announcement first instead.

When I played Bustafellows last year, I praised its characters while criticizing the way the story and mystery were handled. At the time, the sequel wasn’t out in Japan yet, and I had my fingers crossed it would improve those areas. I liked the characters enough to buy the sequel for them, so here’s hoping I get my wish.

It is a great time to be an otome game fan, and 2025 is already looking good. Who knows what other announcements might come from Anime Expo, too? Aksys will be announcing new games, and Idea Factory is holding an event at the same time, so the chances of getting more otome localizations is pretty high.

A few days ago, eastasiasoft also announced an August 1 release date for Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom, which I almost blogged about except I was too busy rambling about Ace Attorney.

Yes, it’s a great time to be an otome fan… Now I just need to get my backlog under control! Are you looking forward to Bustafellows Season 2?

Could Ace Attorney 7 Be Coming Soon?

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with:
Jun 242024
 

I know what you’re thinking.

Another Ace Attorney post? The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection was just announced last week, with an Ace Attorney Investigations 2 localization after all this time, and I’m already speculating about Ace Attorney 7 again?

Yes, it would be logical to assume that with the Investigations duology on the horizon, we shouldn’t expect any other Ace Attorney news for quite a while.

But I’m not convinced.

In fact, the timing makes me wonder if Ace Attorney 7 might be closer than we think.

When you have a series like this, spacing out your releases makes sense. You want to give people time to buy and play the first one before you dangle another in front of them. So with the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy having come out at the end of January, I would have expected the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection to come out early next year at best.

But it’s coming out this September. Less than 8 months after the previous Ace Attorney collection, the Investigations Collection will be available.

I’m not complaining; I’m delighted that it’s so close, but why do it that way? Spacing them out more would make more sense… unless there’s a new game on the horizon. Because you know what else is happening in September? The 2024 Tokyo Game Show, a prime candidate for where a new Ace Attorney game might be announced.

When I think of it like that, everything fits. They are building off the momentum from re-releasing games 4-6, with Ace Attorney 7 to be announced at TGS… but they want the whole series (except the crossover) on modern platforms first, so they’ve slotted Investigations into early September ahead of TGS. Heck, maybe Ace Attorney 7 will include Investigations characters, and so they specifically want it out first.

Either way, while the announcement of the Investigations Collection would normally make me temper my Ace Attorney 7 hopes for a while, its release date being so close has had the opposite effect instead.

We’re getting two Ace Attorney collections in the same year. That’s crazy! And what better reason to do that than if 2025 is set for the long-awaited return of the series with a brand-new game?

(On the other hand, my predictions of Capcom’s Ace Attorney behavior – “Capcom will localize Great Ace Attorney in 2023 when Sherlock Holmes enters public domain;” no, they called him Sholmes and released it in 2021; “Capcom won’t announce any Ace Attorney games until the Ghost Trick remaster is out;” no, they announced the Apollo Justice Trilogy a couple weeks before Ghost Trick’s release date; “Capcom will announce Ace Attorney 7 before an Investigations collection to build off the momentum from 4-6;” no, here we are with the Investigations Collection announced first – have pretty much all been wrong, so I might be entirely off-base again.)

What do you think? Will we get an Ace Attorney 7 announcement this year?

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